See this fun sign?
In these fragile, foreclosure-y times, it would be easy to assume it was mounted on this Fishtown house by someone having mortgage issues with Bank of America.
But, no, the sign’s been hanging on Avi Oslick’s side wall at Earl St. and Girard Ave. since those halcyon, pre-bank-mess days of November 2007.
Avi, a Fishtown contractor and property manager, installed it after BofA refused to honor a stop-payment order he placed on a $2,500 check he’d given a scam handyman. In frustration, he hung this 2-foot-by-20-foot banner on his house – which sits in clear view of the BofA branch on Girard Ave.
It generated a flurry of panicked response: BofA’s marketing department contacted Avi about it, and – oddly – a cop showed up at his door, inquiring whether Avi planned to take down the sign.
When Avi told him no, he says, the cop replied, “Sounds good to me.”
Despite lots of local and national initial press - though none from the Daily News (man, how did we miss this one?) - nothing has been resolved to Avi’s liking. So Avi, who works as a contractor and propepty manager in the neighborhood, says the cheeky sign will hang in perpetuity, where it continues to delight and surprise passersby.
To read the whole tortured story, visit Avi’s fun website, devoted entirely to hating BofA.
Because this is Philly, the caller doesn’t say, “My name is Bob, or Mary, and I wonder if I could have a moment of your time?” Philadelphians are far too direct for that. They just say “Yeah, so what happened was…,” and then tumble into a tale they’re desperate to tell a perfect stranger (me) in the hope it will be told to a wider audience. I love getting these calls (even the ones where it becomes clear, after 30 seconds, precisely where the caller sowed the seeds of his own misery), because they give me chance to connect with my fellow citizens in a way that no other job would allow. Well, okay, no other job that I’m remotely qualified for.
That’s why my blog is titled “So What Happened Was…”, which, to me, has become the quintessentially Philly way of saying, “Once upon a time.” When I hear it, I know a good story is coming. And I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Ronnie Polaneczky has been an award-winning columnist for The Philadelphia Daily News since 1999, offering a front-steps perspective on every aspect of city life, from the sublime to the stupid. In her past life, she was the editor-in-chief of Atlantic City Magazine, associate editor at Philadelphia Magazine and a fulltime freelancer published in Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Reader's Digest, Men's Health, MarieClaire and others. She lives with her husband, daughter, two dogs and two cats in the city's Fairmount section, where she dreams at night of one day singing The National Anthem at an Eagles game. In addition to her column and blog, you can enjoy Ronnie's musings in podcast form here.
Read more from Ronnie Polaneczky at Earth to Philly, the Daily News blog on anything and everything "Green
Get it now
- Ronnie Polaneczky columns from the Daily News
Philly.com Promotions
- News | Sports | Business | What's Happening | Restaurants & Food | Entertainment | Living | Marketplace | Jobs
- Jobs | Cars | Real Estate | Rentals | Marketplace | Celebrations
